Too Close for Comfort
by GilShalos
Summary: “Silly brat. Don’t you know it’s dangerous to stay in a hot spring too long?” Orphen said as Cleo opened her eyes and to see him smiling affectionately down at her. OrphenCleo


Disclaimer: The usual, I don't own any of the characters in SSO.

This can be set just about anytime, but mostly I set my stuff after Sorcerous Stabber Orphen: Revenge.

Yes, I know I should be working on the next chapter of It's in the Family but it's complete and waiting for beta. I already have multiple betas,but thanks if you were planning on offering.

Anyway this was a short one-shot idea written as a gift fic for Alchephiliac. And if you haven't read her stuff and like Orphen and Cleo pairings, you're missing out.

This is also posted on the Spoiled Rough (there should bean underscore between Spoiled and Rough) group on the Live Journal. We're just getting that going so be sure to check us out there sometime.

* * *

"Oh that man! Who does he think he is complaining about my cooking again after insisting I cook! I mean duh, first you made me promise not to cook, and then you demand that I cook. Make up your mind you stupid charlatan! You keep confusing me. I never know where I stand with you and now I never will!" Cleo cried to the sky knowing that Orphen and Majic were miles behind her. She left after their latest fight and this time she had no intention of going back. 

She looked down and slightly back wondering at a sound Leki made, it sounded like a cross between his bark and his questioning whimper. He'd stopped and was sitting a few steps behind her along the path she'd been following.

"What's wrong?"

Leki stood, circled her feet and started back up the path she'd just come down.

"No…haven't you heard me, I'm not going back. Not this time."

Leki simply repeated the motion, and sat back down looking at her expectantly.

"No. I've had it." She walked up to Leki and picked him up and more quietly tried to explain. "This time it's more than one of our usual arguments; I'm tired of waiting for him. He's never going to notice me no matter how much I want it or wish for it. And it's time I grew up and put aside childish fantasies. It's never going to happen. So that's why I'm leaving them now. I-I'll understand if you want to go back to them but I'm not."

Leki's only response was to lick her face.

"I'm guessing that means you're coming with me…" Cleo said cuddling him closely, murmuring. "That's my sweet boy." She paused glancing at the sky, realizing it had been a long time since she'd left camp, at least two or three hours judging by the height of the moon. "Still, we've probably gone far enough for tonight. I wonder… Majic said something about there being a hot springs a few hours back. And we should be close now. What did he say, oh…" She stopped when Leki jumped down, sniffed the air and started trotting off down the path going away from the campsite.

As she was calming down from the high of the fight, she realized that she was getting tired. So when after almost an hour, Leki veered off the path she sighed in relief. Still, she stopped at the edge of the woods to eye them suspiciously, they had been along side the path earlier in the day, only then they hadn't looked threatening with Majic and him, but now, she was kind of wishing they were here with her or she with them. 'What am I some kind of weak damsel in distress? No way, I'm gonna prove to him that I'll be just fine. Not that I ever intend to see him again. I can handle my sword so I'll join a caravan, that way I can still travel and not be stuck with that asexual prick.' Resolved again, Cleo drew her sword and stepped off the path to continue following Leki.

After just a few moments, the faint smell of sulphur permeated the air, heralding her approach to the hot springs, real hot springs unlike the Heavenly One artifact fed city. She sped up and arrived at the clearing where Leki barked happily greeting her. He was waiting near one of the several pools. She carefully approached the pool Leki was near and tested the temperature, judging by the amount of steam, that pool was the coolest of all of them, even though it was still quite hot. She figured she'd better not stay in long.

Grabbing a few pieces of jerky from her back, she quickly undressed down to her underwear. Pausing before taking it off, she decided, just in case Majic followed her, she'd keep it on. She then gingerly stepped in, realizing as she did that her leg muscles were fairly screaming in pain. She thought back and realized just how far her adrenaline from the fight had carried her. Majic had mentioned the hot springs about an hour into their walk that morning and they'd been walking in the opposite direction until almost sunset. Absently she passed a piece of jerky to Leki before nibbling on a piece herself. Finally allowing herself to relax sure Majic probably wouldn't be peeping and that… that damn sorcerer wouldn't find her anytime soon. If he even looked.

* * *

After the stew was simmering and their latest lesson covered, Majic started fidgeting, Cleo usually cooled off by now. "Master, she's been gone a long time." 

"You know her Majic, she'll be back when she's hungry."

"I-I know, but she…" Majic said fiddling with the fire under the simmering stew, "You don't think she could have gone to the hot springs do you?"

"Probably. There's some about 10 minutes up the hill. Why do you think we stopped here?"

"I don't think she knows about those, only the ones we passed early today."

"She wouldn't go that far from us."

"Well…that is true but, we stopped because she said she was hungry, and it's been two hours now."

"So… you were the one that was about to point out that she grabbed her pack as she left. She keeps some food in that and what happens when she runs off with food?"

"Oh yeah, but I still don't understand Master," Majic replied, not wanting to voice why he was so concerned, why he wanted to go after her so badly. Aside from the bad feeling he had, she grabbed her sword as she left. She'd never done that before and he couldn't help but worry if this fight was different, "the last time you two fought over food, you had her promise not to cook… and then you tell her to. Why?"

"And you weren't tired of cooking?"

"Well, true but I thought that was why we brought the canned goods along."

"Too bad she didn't remember that." Orphen said standing up and scanning the edges of the campsite. Quietly, so Majic wouldn't notice he chanted, "Oh wind," causing a slight gust of wind to come from behind him, over the stew and down the path that Cleo disappeared down. Smugly he thought, 'That ought to bring her back.'

* * *

"Silly brat. Don't you know it's dangerous to stay in a hot spring too long?" Orphen said as Cleo opened her eyes and to see him smiling affectionately down at her. 

"Don't scare me like that!" She cried, blushing as she frantically grabbed her towel from the rock at the edge of the pool, very aware that she was naked and that the pool was now bathed in a bright white light which she tried, unsuccessfully to raise her other arm to block out. 'A spell no doubt,' she thought before shouting, "What the hell are you doing here, now turn around!" She fully intended to wait for him to comply before she got out.

"No."

Just as she was preparing to blast him for peeping again, she realized he was already shirtless and his hands had moved to loosen and undo the belt on his pants. Her eyes widened in shock before she tightly closed them, shrieking, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Joining you since you obviously need a keeper."

"No way! I am so not bathing with you!" She cried even as she heard the splashes indicating he'd gotten in. Pushing her decision, with him in the water, naked or not she was getting out now. She scrambled to the edge when she felt his arm wrap around her waist pulling him against her. As with whenever he held her she felt weightless, like she was floating, as her back was pressed flush against his body. Unintentionally she melted into him, allowing her to feel the muscles of his chest against her back, the planes of his stomach and …oh my god, his…his… Cleo froze, thinking 'This is what I've been wanting…and I was running, why?'

"Leaving so soon, you're the one that likes hot springs," He whispered in her ear, before she felt a faint caress on her ear almost like he'd kissed or licked it. She felt his lips again this time on her neck just below her ear confirming what she felt before was a kiss. She tilted her head allowing him better access as she felt his hands start caressing her stomach before moving upwards, even though she tensed slightly at the new sensations she still moaned in pleasure as he lightly slid his hands over her breasts on the way to her shoulders. He grasped her shoulders to turn her around to face him. She couldn't breathe, she was stunned, was this really happening, could he actually want her. Even though she still felt like she couldn't take another breath she was mesmerized when she looked up into his cinnamon brown eyes, noticing for the first time her own feelings mirrored in his eyes as he slowly closed them and leaned for a kiss.

Barely able to contain her joy, and wondering why she wanted to run in the first place, she brought her arms up around his shoulders to return the kiss with as much passion as her limited experience allowed. He deepened the kiss moving his hands up and down her back and she melted into the embrace. The kiss was amazing the feeling was so intense, and everything she'd ever imagined. He pulled back, gazing into her eyes, even as the bright light seemed to glow more intensely behind him blinding her. Vaguely she wondered, 'I thought after a kiss like that you were supposed to see stars not light.' Suddenly she heard him saying her name, in a tone that held, to her surprise, a hint of desperation. Not wanting to stop she closed her eyes again welcoming his embrace, as she wondered, 'Could this be a dream? If so,' she mused, 'I never want to wake up.'

She found even with her eyes closed, she could still see the light; it was warm and welcoming behind Orphen. Curious she reached out towards it realizing, that Orphen being there and kissing her must have been a dream. 'Just another dream,' she cried inwardly. She opened her eyes and Orphen was still there, his face coming towards hers for another kiss, which still welcomed even as she realized she couldn't move. Surprised, instead of another kiss from Orphen, he only placed his lips on hers and blew into her mouth. As he moved slightly away, she was aware of feeling more and more detached from the dream, even as the ache over her heart doubled, it was a two-fold, the anguish of wanting what could never be hers and a physical tightening in her chest. The spiral was all too familiar; a wonderful dream where he cared followed by the painful reality of indifference, looking for a distraction, any distraction she again fixated on the light. She gazed over Orphen's shoulder at the light again as he put his lips on hers again and blew into her mouth again. She wanted to shout at him that was weird and to stop. She wanted to investigate the light, she saw a figure in the light that looked familiar and she wanted to go to it… but Orphen was in the way.

Vaguely she wished Orphen would get out of the way so she could investigate and immediately she was over the hot springs where Orphen was kneeling at the edge intently concentrating on something. Surprised she realized she was looking at herself, lying unconscious on the ground; Orphen was alternating pushing down on her chest and plugging her nose then putting his mouth on hers in something akin to a kiss. 'What in the world is he doing?' Even though in the back of her mind, she recognized his actions had an name, what it was seemed unimportant now, looking back to the light and at him, she was torn about watching him or following the light. She looked again at the light and realized the figure she saw was her father. Subconsciously, she tried to cover herself when she remembered she was naked, only to find that somewhere along the line a sheet had appeared. She was about to go to greet him when she heard Orphen.

"Cleo! Don't do this! Fight damn it! I can't fix this! No magic can!"

She looked back and watched as he'd stopped what he was doing and had picked her body up and was cradling it. 'Was he? Was he crying?' she thought, in growing confusion.

"Please, breathe. Please!" He pleaded shaking her. "Gotta keep trying. I can't lose…" He laid her back down and went back to the process he'd been doing before. She was getting more and more curious about what he was doing and the light seemed to be fading.

Faintly, as the light completely faded she heard her father's voice, say, "Sometimes love isn't expressed with flowery words, but actions."

"I know. It's why I can't leave him. Why I never stay away long."

"But you will if you don't go back now…"

'Go back now? What do you mean?' she thought before glancing around looking for her father again, only to find him gone. 'Weird dream.' She mused, still even if she didn't prove anything to Orphen, the bottom-line was that she didn't want to leave him. And she resolved that as soon as she woke up from this dream she'd go back to him. No sooner was that thought finished than Cleo woke with a gasp and started coughing. Her lungs felt like they were on fire and her chest hurt worse then ever before. She barely registered all those sensations when she heard Orphen's voice.

"Thank God! You scared the hell out of me." She felt the cloth of something being pushed over her head and the weight of a cloak wrap around her when she started to shiver just before she was pulled into a tight embrace. Even after she got warm in the cloak, she still felt like she was shaking or shivering, but slowly the realization crept into her mind that she wasn't the one trembling, the one who held her was, Orphen.

She tried to talk only to find herself unable to. Finally she started to croak out, "What…"

"Don't talk." Orphen interrupted her, guessing what she was asking, "And what happened is I almost lost you." He whispered. He bought her face close to his and placed a quick kiss on her cheek holding her close for a minute before sighing in relief and relaxing. "You stupid little fool."

"You-you were worried?"

"Yeah, brat. I was." Thinking to himself that panicked and frightened to death were more accurate.

And that was enough of a declaration for her, she may not have proved she could take care of her self, but she found out something much more important. She snuggled into his arms almost instantly starting to return to sleep, murmuring, "Sorry… love you… and for... you… wouldn't… follow… light."

She felt him shudder and his grip tighten slightly, vaguely aware that his tone was like she heard in her dream, shaky and lacking his usual confidence. "No light for you for a long time. A very long time." Putting his hands under her knees, he carefully stood up holding her. Once he was standing she fully gave in to sleep.

Just after he stood, Leki jumped up onto Orphen's shoulder, guessing what was about to happen and not wanting to disturb his mistress. He was proven correct when, once Leki was settled, Orphen chanted, "Towers in heaven that dance around me." And they vanished in a flash of purple light.

* * *

Majic was pacing around the campfire. He knew Orphen said to stay put, but he wanted to search for her. She'd been gone for six hours. Six! This wasn't just an, 'I'm storming off till I cool off,' departure. She took her sword and pack, which Majic took that to mean she was leaving …for good. Even if she didn't think to bring her bedroll, the message was still evident. He knew Orphen didn't want that and he sure as hell didn't want it either. 

It had been almost an hour since Majic had finally broken down and gone to the nearby hot springs. Only to find his Master there already, cursing. Majic had sighed at that moment and mentioned his worries about her taking her sword on her walk. In a large show of indifference, he blew it off and said he was going for a walk. 'As if I didn't know what you were doing Master,' Majic thought bitterly, 'You know it wouldn't kill you to let her know how you feel sometime, however, maybe if she actually catches you checking on…'

A flash of purple light, indicating that Orphen had returned, interrupted Majic's thoughts. He was standing there with a large cloak covered bundle in his arms. Majic almost jumped for joy, as it fully sunk in that Orphen's search had been successful. Until he got a good look at their faces, both were startlingly pale and tired looking.

"What happened?" He asked hurrying up to them.

"She's never going in a hot springs without one of us again. I don't care if she has to wear a bathing suit." Orphen groused, before hugging her close again and almost reluctantly handing her over to Majic. "Get her ready for bed and keep her close to the fire so she doesn't get chilled. I-I'm going back to get her stuff, and mine."

"Are you okay Master?" Majic asked looking up at Orphen, curious about a few unusual things, the hug, the blush now staining his cheeks and his lack of shirt.

"Yes! No! Nevermind!"

"Um… aside from being really, really asleep is she okay?" Majic asked noticing that Cleo barely stirred after being shifted.

"She'll be fine. Although, she's probably got some broken or cracked ribs."

"Cracked ribs? Did she fall or something?" Majic said smirking slightly, with hope that maybe the ice finally broke between the two.

"I did it, damn it."

"What? How? Why?" Majic stammered, realizing from Orphen's tone that if he'd really broken her ribs, it wasn't in the throes of passion. Shifting her slightly, Majic looked for signs she'd been hit, although he saw nothing.

"She found a hot springs all right. She wore herself out getting to the other set near where we started today… err, yesterday."

"But that doesn't…" Majic trailed off of that topic under Orphen's glare, so he asked instead, "You said those hot springs were way to hot, but what does that have…"

"They are too hot and ...she …she fell asleep in one of the cooler pools. If I'd arrived even a few moments later …" Involuntarily, Orphen shuddered again, "even so… I still had to..." Orphen closed his eyes willing himself to forget the image that greeted him when he arrived at the second hot springs. Leki alternately howling by the side of the pool, blasting a tree and trying to pull on her hair or anything else he could get a grip on. She was face down and floating. He'd practically torn off his cloak, vest and shirt in his hurry to get in the water and to her. Once there he pulled her against him by the waist and got her out of the water. After laying her down, he rolled her over and was examining her, calling her name out desperately, while Leki tried to elicit a response by licking her ear and neck. A quick check of her pulse confirmed the worst of all his nightmares and he thought his heart had stopped, too.

He remembered the emergency techniques that Childman insisted they learn because magic can't fix everything and applied it. After going on for a while, he found himself getting dizzy from the exertion. He stopped out of necessity and begged Cleo to fight to change what he feared was going to be the outcome. There wasn't any response, although seeing her still motionless form hardened his resolve not to quit. After a few more moments of trying, he finally heard a sound he would never have called welcome before. This time, he'd never been so happy to hear it, the sounds of her gasping and coughing; the sounds of her breathing for herself, returning to life and him.

"Master… Master…" Majic, who after realizing from what Orphen said, that quite likely he had to resuscitate her. Now that Cleo was carefully tucked into her bedroll next to the fire, he needed to bring Orphen back out of his nightmare. Rooming with Orphen as he did, he knew what demons and nightmares plagued his Master at night.

"Remind me to teach you emergency techniques to bring someone back… from the b-brink, Majic."

"I already know those and… So…you really had to…she …she wasn't…"

Orphen closed his eyes, willing the image away again. "Correct… I was almost too late. If," he paused reminding Majic of his known habits, "you hadn't gone to peep on her." Orphen held up a hand to stop Majic's protest, "Yes, I know this time that wasn't why you were going to the hot springs. To continue, if you hadn't mentioned the other hot springs earlier and when I ported close to them, if I hadn't heard Leki howling and blasting things…" Orphen trailed off not wanting to worry Majic any further but also wanting to stress how serious it was. "If not for you both, I would never have gotten there in time."

"Master, you've got to stop chasing her off…"

"I won't stop the fighting, that's us." Orphen sighed, knowing now that he'd worried Majic even more then he intended to, but he wasn't going to give up the sheer joy of annoying and angering Cleo. She was too much fun to bait and it was just as much of a game for her as it was him, normally. Still he knew cooking was a sore spot for her and usually that topic was hands off unless there was time and a place for her to bathe nearby, then he'd pick the fight. Fully aware she'd fall for it every time, especially since it fulfilled two other goals. One he could utilize that time without her while she was bathing and cooling off so he and Majic could get some quiet to study or go over lessons. And the second was an added benefit, preventing Majic from peeping on her.

That was his normal plan and he considered it safe because he knew she wouldn't stay away long. She was loyal like that, even so he decided, he couldn't risk it anymore, she really was leaving. He almost lost one of the most precious things in his life tonight; it was a scare he would be long remembering. "But she won't be going anywhere truly alone anymore. Got it?"

"Oh hell yes, Master. But, was… was it really that dire?" Majic asked looking do to where Cleo was curled up in her blanket.

"Yeah." Orphen muttered, running his hand though his semi-wet hair, reminding him of something. "Spread her hair out so it'll dry faster. I've still got to get her gear. And my vest. Tomorrow we're going to move closer to the hot spring nearby and we'll establish a more permanent camp. We'll be staying there for a few days. She shouldn't travel for a while."

"Master, are you all right?" Majic asked again.

"Of course," Orphen answered automatically, before revising it, "not." He admitted reluctantly, "I hate change, and things almost changed irrevocably today. Sorcery can't re-start a stopped heart and hers had." Orphen sighed, feeling better for actually admitting it, even as he cursed himself for admitting it. 'Damn it! Hartia agonizes over these things not me. But then I swore I'd never let anything happen to her…err, them. I need to sort some crap out.' He growled slightly, "Look, I need some time alone. I'm going to go get our stuff." Orphen finished, adding in a thought, 'and fill in that damn hot spring."

"Should I try to get her to eat or drink anything?"

"She'll need to drink as much water as we can get down her, once she wakes. For now, let her sleep. Put my bed roll around her, too." And he chanted, "Towers in Heaven that Dance Around Me"

"But where will you…" Majic trailed off realizing that Orphen was gone. Majic set about doing what Orphen asked, he even found one of Cleo's spare brushes and ran that through her hair. He put a hand on her forehead and she felt warm, not fever warm, but warm nevertheless. Majic wondered why Orphen had said to combine their bedrolls.

He wasn't left wondering for long, although his first order of business was to check on her ribs. Many blushes later, he'd wrapped a bandage around her chest and put Orphen's shirt back on her, feeling relieved that nothing was broken. Still, she was going to be awfully sore in the morning. Once that was taken care of and she was safely tucked in to her bedroll, injuries tended, he could finally stomach eating. He also served a bowl for Leki, too as an added thank you to the pup for helping out. He scratched the pup's ears while he was eating.

He checked their fresh water and decided to make some tea, which he could allow to cool for when she woke up. That way he could alternate between the cool tea and water, for variety and to get more down her. After he finished he noticed, in spite of being close to the fire, and the fact that her hair was nearly dry, Cleo was shivering. Guessing that was what Orphen was expecting, he quickly grabbed Orphen's blanket and with the help of Leki, he pulled one layer under her and tucked the other above her. Once that was settled, Leki curled up in her semi-dry hair as Majic, sat down next to her lower back hesitantly reaching out to gently rub her shoulders, wondering if he should get his blankets and wishing she'd wake up. If only so he could just reassure himself she was fine.

Almost as if she heard his prayer, she stirred. "Orphen?" she said hoarsely.

"He's getting your stuff and setting up a few things. Would you like some water or tea?"

"Water…" Cleo replied shivering as she sat up. "Why am I so cold? And…what am I doing here… in Orphen's shirt?" She added, as she became aware of the fact that she was only dressed in Orphen's shirt, and some bindings around her chest. A slight blush tinged her cheeks as she realized that either Orphen or Majic would have had to do to put those on.

Knowing why she was blushing, Majic opted not to bring attention to it, instead he poured and handed her a cup of water, "Drink it all. You mean you don't remember the hot spring?"

"Oh yeah? I remember I was relaxing…and then," she paused, drinking from the cup, trying to remember what happened next. She remembered relaxing and feeling overly warm. Another memory was that she thought she needed to get out, but also felt an overwhelming sense of sleepiness, 'wait sleepiness, did I?' She asked herself before continuing aloud. "Oh lord, did I fall asleep?"

"You did. Master found you."

"Why am I so sore?"

"Think about it Cleo. You were asleep in a hot spring, what do think he had to do to save you?

"Oh, that… that explains…" She trailed off, absently placing a hand on her chest.

"Yeah, it does." Majic said, more harshly then he intended giving vent to the worry he'd been feeling for the last few hours. "Damn it Cleo, I know I shouldn't be shouting at you now but, why did you run so far? You know better."

"I was going home."

Before Majic could answer, Orphen's voice came from the edge of the campsite. "You are home. With me… us. No matter what happens, never forget that, now finish the water and get some rest."

* * *

Yes that's really the end and this is a one-shot. I may do a sequel but it won't be for a while, a long while. Also, yes I know Orphen used CPR, but they're not from here so wouldn't necessarily call it the same thing. 


End file.
